Harsh Realities From Rewatching Money In The Bank 2016

Money In The Bank 2016 came a whole ten years ago when WWE took over the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada. The card featured some notable matches and moments, not least a major main event between Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins and a dream match showdown involving John Cena & AJ Styles. However, not everything has necessarily aged well in the decade since Money In The Bank 2016.

Whether it be poor booking decisions on the night, hindsight giving us an idea of the negative aftereffects of the PPV, or something more, there are many harsh realities that fans can come to realize when going back to rewatch the event.

4

Apollo Crews Received His WWE Main Roster Call-Up Too Early

• Crews wrestled on his first main event PPV.
• He defeated Sheamus at Money In The Bank.
• Crews wasn’t ready and fumbled on RAW & SmackDown.

Apollo Crews was one of the names called up to WWE’s main roster following WrestleMania 32, surprising fans since he hasn’t spent all too long in NXT. It was clear that Crews had not yet settled on a strong character, leading to him struggling to connect with the main roster audience. At Money In The Bank 2016, he was handed his first main roster PPV showcase in a singles match with Sheamus, winning in a decent but forgettable contest on the card.

Unfortunately for Crews, things would only go downhill from here, outside of a couple of forgettable midcard title reigns over the years. He was rushed to the main roster and failed to make an impression. Even the level of crowd investment at Money In The Bank in 2016 was a clear enough example that he hadn’t yet honed down an act that could make it on RAW or SmackDown. WWE should’ve kept Crews in NXT for at least another year to allow him to develop.

3

AJ Styles & The Club Failed To Remain A Major Factor

• WWE’s booking of The Club was abysmal for years.
• Styles, Anderson & Gallows were a promising force at Money In The Bank.
• They helped Styles defeat Cena in a showstealer.

Money In The Bank 2016 was treated to a dream match showdown between AJ Styles and John Cena – and they absolutely tore the house down! In the latter stages, the newly heel Styles secured the win thanks to a helping hand from Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows, who had recently debuted in WWE and aligned themselves with former Bullet Club teammate Styles to form “The Club”. However, despite the quality and potential that this faction showed at Money In The Bank, WWE gave up on it quickly.

Just a matter of months later, WWE destroyed the faction in the 2016 Brand Split, not committing to the group in the long run. This effectively destroyed the momentum of Anderson & Gallows, leaving them permanently struggling for momentum over the years. WWE did reunite this trio here and there over the years, but they were never given a sustained push, which was a big shame and a harsh reality of rewatching their presentation at Money In The Bank ten years ago.

2

Dean Ambrose’s WWE Title Reign Was Underwhelming

• Ambrose won the WWE Championship at Money In The Bank 2016.
• This was his only world title reign in WWE.
• His WWE Championship reign was overshadowed and poorly handled.

To close out Money In The Bank 2016, Dean Ambrose cashed in the Money In The Bank briefcase which he’d won earlier that night to defeat Seth Rollins for the WWE Championship, finally enacting real revenge on his rival after his betrayal of The Shield. This was an incredible moment and one of the best cash-ins ever… but everything after this was lackluster. Ambrose’s first first as the reigning and defending WWE Champion saw his run overshadowed with the 2016 brand split and draft, an underwhelming Shield triple threat match at Battleground, and a singles feud with Dolph Ziggler which was treated like a midcard title showdown at SummerSlam.

Ambrose lost the gold to AJ Styles just a few months later, ending his one and only world title reign in WWE. It was nice to see Ambrose with the belt and he did the best he could, but the booking of him as a main event star was nothing special.

1

WWE Didn’t Book Roman Reigns Vs. Seth Rollins Enough

• The Money In The Bank 2016 main event was a strong one.
• Rollins vs. Reigns should’ve been a regular main event match.
• WWE failed to book this match often enough over the years.

The main event of the Money In The Bank 2016 saw Roman Reigns put the WWE Championship on the line against Seth Rollins – and it was great! The match had a big fight feel, it was paced well, and it ended with a clean result in which Rollins shocked everyone with a win. This should have been the start of a multi-year feud in which Rollins & Reigns met in many more main events – similar to the likes of Steve Austin & The Rock and Randy Orton & John Cena. However, it wasn’t until the 2022 Royal Rumble when they met again in singles action on a PLE, and not until 2026 for them to main event a show in the form of SummerSlam.

When looking back at the success of this matchup, one of the harshest realities of rewatching Money In The Bank 2016 is the fact that WWE didn’t book it more often. Given how strongly booked both of these men have been over the years, with all their world titles, main events, and other accomplishments, not to mention their rich history together, it is baffling that WWE didn’t book them in more headline singles matchups throughout their respective careers.